Monday, December 17, 2013~Week 18 
Quezon City; 10:58 AM Tues (PH); 7:58 PM Mon (US)

Hey family! It's been a crazy crazy week! First of all though, I'm staying here!! I'm so so happy! I was not ready to leave this area yet! My work is not finished here! I kept telling President that if I could just stay here for one more transfer, I would be fine! And my wish came true! There's still too much for me to do here so I'm really really excited to be staying! And so is Sister Tibungcog! We're going to work so dang hard this transfer and we're just really really excited! Sister Hepworth is staying too. She's training! We're going to have a baby in the house! I won't be the youngster anymore! Hollerrrrrrrrr. Sister Strebel is leaving though....we're all a little depressed about that. There's no one in the house that can quote the Grinch and other movies with me now!! It's a sad life. But we all knew she was leaving so it wasn't a big surprise. She's been in the same area for 6 months AND it was her first area. So it was time for her to go. Good news though! She's going to Pasig and she's going to be in the same house as Sister Jones! Haha so at least she'll have that for Christmas! Anywayyyyyyyyyyy....on to my week!

Sisters Andersen, Tibungcog, Hepworth & Strebel

So Thursday we had Christmas Conference and it was SO fun!! WE WATCHED AN ACTUAL REAL LIFE NOT CHURCH CHRISTMAS MOVIE!!! It was Arthur's Christmas and it was soooo cute! I definitely recommend it! It was precious! I loved it! I was just so happy though that we watched an actual movie! We also played games, had lunch, did skits, sang songs, did a gift exchange, and just mingled with other missionaries and it was just really really fun! I wish I could send the video of the skit that President was in! Oh my gosh it was so funny! Parts of it probably won't be as funny to you because there's a few jokes about the Philippines there but oh my gosh it was so so funny!   I'll send pictures later! And we all got cute little Christmas Conference shirts and so everyone just looks so dandy and Christmas like! It was funnnnnnnnn. 

Me and my taytay Elder Cendana and my zone leader right now. 

My lolo in the mission!
(Grandpa) Elder Roman was my first Zone Leader!
 He goes home tomorrow!

Elder Cendana and us! 

Me and Elder Crisanto! My favorite office Elder!

Then on Friday we had weekly planning all day basically but it was Jake Letada's (one of our investigators that lives in Daan-Tubo) birthday and so we took them doughnuts and wrapped up a hymn book for them and just went and wished him a happy birthday. They're the sweetest little family. They're the ones with the two month old baby and the one year old baby. Sooo adorable. This family is our new focus right now. Jake just got a job which is GREAT because they have nothing and Erika just stays at home all day with the baby but when she's at home, she'll read the Book of Mormon and stuff and she is SO excited for her baptism. We went and visited her yesterday and she was telling us how excited she was because when she was baptized as a baby it was just the sprinkling on the head thing and she said she's excited for this baptism because she'll go all the way under and it's like she's being washed clean and we were like, YES! That's exactly it! They're scheduled to be baptized on January 18th! So everyone pray! We're also shooting to get them married on that day! Sooo pray again for that! It's just my dream to get them married and baptized before February 11 because that would mean that I could go to their sealing in the temple right before I go home! And that would be the BEST way to end my mission!  So it definitely needs to happen! 

Us and Ivanne, one of the ward missionaries!

Saturday was the longest, most exhausting day EVER! Sister Tibungcog and I went with one of the ward missionaries to Kaingin at 11:30 in the morning and we were there until 5:30 pm! We walked all over that dang mountain visiting ALL the less actives and inviting them to the little Christmas Devotional that we were having up there for them and also inviting them to come to the sacrament meeting on Sunday. We seriously went up and down those hills several times over and it just happened to be the HOTTEST day that we've had here in a while and SOOOO humid!

The view from the very TOP of Kaingin!

Then the little devotional started at 5 pm, then Sister Tibungcog and I left for our house so that we could kind of clean up for the BAPTISM! We were starving though because neither of us had had breakfast, lunch, or dinner! That's actually probably kind of dangerous but hey, duty calls. So we hurried and fixed ourselves up, wrapped up a nice little present for Mylene, and ran to the church for the baptism! Little Mylene is sooooo adorable! The other sisters had their investigator Charlie there too who was getting baptized. He went first and then Mylene and she's just a precious little child! After their baptism, they were both asked to share their testimony and Charlie gave a sweet little testimony and then Mylene got up really really quietly and said (in Tagalog) "I'm happy that I could be baptized and I'm happy that I'm a real young woman now. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." SO ADORABLE! Anyway, we all took some pictures afterwards and then we finally got home at about 8:45 where we immediately ordered in some McDonald's! McDonald's in America is disgusting but here, it's real food and it tastes so good!!!! So that was a very nice ending to a very long but rewarding day!

 Us and the young women in the ward with Mylene!

Saturday night........ it was a looooong day.

        

               Thumbs up for a baptism from me....

One from Sister Tibungcog...

Sunday was nice! We went to the sacrament meeting in Kaingin, came home, I showered again, we went to church, had a meeting with the ward mission leader and the ward missionaries, and then watched the Christmas Devotional!! It was so good!! I loved it! I loved how sweet and simple it was! Our leaders are all so adorable and so gentle! I love them!  Ummm yesterday was a very long day! Haha we got punted EVERYWHERE! We went to so many people and got punted everytime! Except for Erika Letada, the Fuertes, and Jenie. But the lesson with Jenie was awful.  Someone kept coming and interrupting and the spirit was just nonexistent there. It was real rough. And to top it all off, at about 8:00 pm I got really really tired and achy everywhere and a fever hit me really hard suddenly. So we went home and I layed down and it was the weirdest feeling in the world because I was burning up really really bad but I was actually a little bit chilly even though I knew it was bloody hot. So I knew that I was for real sick. My fever broke during the night so it didn't last very long but my whole body still aches and my throat feels like death. Sister Strebel had it last week so I just picked up what she had. It's no fun. But it's okay! At least the fever's gone! 

TODAY!

Anyway, I just feel really blessed this week because I get to stay here one more transfer and I get to work with my people here for just a little bit longer! It's going to be a great transfer and we're really looking forward to it! It's so fun to see all the usual Christmas happenings around home plus the added magical snow this year! Christmas is definitely different here but the message about Christ and His life is still the same no matter where you are! I'm so grateful to be a missionary and for this opportunity that I have to share the gospel of Jesus Christ here in the Philippines! I'm sad that I'm missing Christmas but I know that it's worth it and that my time here is limited and so I have to treasure what I've got!! I love you all so much and I can't wait to skype with you NEXT WEEK!! I'm excited to see everyone's face and hear all your voices again!! Love you all so much!! Talk to you soon!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS! MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA!

Love, Sister Andersen